In the June 2020, Connecticut College expressed solidarity with global racial justice movements in response to a string of senseless killings of Black Americans by white police and vigilantes. Our community called on the College to prioritize the implementation of new anti-racist policies and practices. The following three priorities were established, based on the broad goals of the original Equity and Inclusion Action Plan, with a special focus on anti-racist education: campus safety and law enforcement; teaching and learning; and campus climate.
5.1.1.
Responding to a growing national movement to transform the nature of policing, the College will review its own procedures for handling campus incidents in order to move the department of campus safety toward a more inclusive, community-oriented philosophy of intervention.
Complete/Ongoing
Reallocated staff positions from Campus Safety to create new community-oriented and wellness focused positions approach to incident response.
Conducting search for two new community liaison positions.
Consulted with Kathy Evans, Co-Responder with Mental Health Center of Denver and Jeanne Milstein, Director of Human Services for the City of New London, in developing job descriptions, training needs, and community wellness practices.
5.1.2.
Engage campus safety officers in a set of conversations about implicit bias, racial profiling, and how to counteract them.
Complete/Ongoing
Developed and implemented new multi-part training program on establishing anti-racist practices in campus safety.
Delivered first training session on August 10, 2020; subsequent sessions being developed.
Issued personal Anti-Racism Action Plan guidebooks to campus safety officers as a training tool.
Invited Jeanne Milstein to engage in follow-up campus safety training sessions with NLPD and NLFD representatives.
5.1.3.
New London Mayor Michael Passero ’79 to establish a community task force to review the policies, procedures, and training in the New London Police Department related to de-escalation, racial bias, and use of force. Two representatives from Connecticut College—John McKnight, dean of institutional equity and inclusion, and Mary Savage, director of campus safety and emergency operations—will serve on the task force.
Complete/Ongoing
Mayor Passero established an NLPD review task force and appointed John McKnight as chair; other college representatives include Mary Savage, director of Campus Safety, and Clayton Potter, Community Learning Coordinator.
The committee concluded its work in January 2021 and delivered a report and final recommendations. Read a news story and the full report here: https://www.theday.com/local-news/20210115/committee-recommends-civilian-police-review-board-in-new-london
5.1.4.
Expand the Conversations on Race social justice education series, launched last year in partnership with The Day and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, to explore racial bias in policing as well as other themes.
Complete/Ongoing
Conversations on Race continued in Spring 2021 with an event focused on racial bias in policing. Featured guests and panelists provided national context on the issue of improving police and community relations and police accountability.
The Conversations on Race program series will continue as a joint collaboration with The Day newspaper and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
5.2.1.
To address one of the first goals of our Equity and Inclusion Action Plan (1.2.1.a., 2.1.7., 3.1.1.) we will require all members of the Connecticut College community to complete an online program that offers foundational training around questions of diversity, equity, and inclusion. This online instruction is meant to be just the first step in a much larger effort to promote advanced dialogue and understanding across difference.
Complete/Ongoing
Selected the EverFi diversity education training program for students, staff, and faculty.
Launched required EverFi training programs in the 2020-21 academic year.
5.2.2.
Launch a new graduation requirement (see 1.1.1.a, 1.1.1.b.), starting with the Class of 2024, on Social Difference and Power, a requirement ratified by the faculty in spring 2019. We are grateful to Professors Deborah Eastman and Sufia Uddin for their leadership in developing this requirement and for the many faculty who will offer courses.
Complete/Ongoing
Students in the Class of 2024 are required to complete two SDP courses.
Established a website summarizing learning objectives of SDP courses.
Added SDP course designation to the College catalogue.
Promoting SDP courses to upperclass students, though it is not a requirement.
5.2.3.
Refocus the diversity portion of new student orientation, again starting with the Class of 2024, to include a more intentional focus on combating interpersonal racism within the campus community.
Complete/Ongoing
Revamped new student orientation program to focus on anti-Black, and anti-BIPOC racism.
Issuing Anti-Racism Action Plan guidebooks to new students.
5.2.4.
Create a continually updated guide of opportunities and resources to promote anti-racist education. These educational resources will be compiled into a single comprehensive guide on the Office of Institutional Equity and Inclusion website for the campus community.
Complete/Ongoing
Ally Development resource list compiled by White CC Colleagues Committed to Anti-Racism.
Racial Justice and Healing resource list compiled by the Psychology department.
Sustainable Engagement in Anti-Racism resource list compiled by Student Counseling Services.
Critical Study of Race resource list compiled by CCSRE.
Anti-Racist Teaching and Learning resource list compiled by the Library.
Revising DIEI website to include links to these and other resources.
5.3.1.
During 2020-21 academic year, administer the planned-for campus climate survey by the national Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (1.3.3., 2.3.1., 3.2.1.) which COVID-19 forced us to postpone this spring. Data from the survey will be used to inform future plans.
Complete/Ongoing
Administered the HEDS campus climate survey in Spring 2021.
5.3.2.
Amplify and enhance the College’s bias response protocol to incorporate restorative justice approaches in keeping with best practices nationally.
In Progress
Assembled representative team of students, staff, and faculty to review bias policy and procedures.
Compiling research on best practices in bias response on college campuses.
Developing recommendations for a new approach to bias education and response to be shared with the community during the 2021-22 academic year.
Dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion
Mailing Address
Office of the Dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion
Connecticut College
Unity House
New London, CT 06320-4196
Department Assistant
Lynne McCue, Senior Assistant to the Division of Institutional Equity and Inclusion
lemcc@conncoll.edu
Campus Location
Fanning Hall 110
Office Hours
M-F, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.